Til Kingdom Come
by CaptainSierra
Summary: Modern Merlin where Arthur has returned and has much to learn about himself, Merlin, and the new world around him
1. For You Id Wait

*** See end of work for notes**

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Every Sunday Merlin paid a visit to the Lake of Avalon.

It was sort of a ritual he'd started in the past century. He made sure he had off from his jobon Sundays, so he could spend them with Arthur. Or at least, that's what he'd like to imagine.

Sometimes he'd bring his lunch and eat it by the lake. Other times he'd just sit and talk to Arthur, hoping that somehow he'd be able to listen. He'd tell him about how the day went, how the world is so different now than it used to be and so on and so forth. It wasn't the most sane thing, but it made Merlin feel less lonely.

Long ago, Kilgharrah had told the young warlock that Arthur would return when Albion needed him most. Merlin had always kept his hopes up high, but it seemed as though the world today was shrouded with so many problems it was impossible to tell when the king would return. There had been many times when Merlin was almost positive he would return, but of course he never did. Even during World War II, when it seemed as though Britain was only going downhill. But Churchill had stayed stoic, and they had eventually won the war. Merlin was almost beginning to think that the world no longer needed Arthur Pendragon.

But he knew he sure as hell did- not that he would ever admit that to anyone. And even after all the centuries, all the times when he had almost lost hope, Merlin still took time every Sunday to visit the Lake of Avalon.

One particular Sunday in the beginning chills of November, Merlin ventured to the Lake as usual. Nothing seemed special about the day; it felt like any other. Merlin had ridden his bike to the lake, a bag slung across his shoulders with one of his favorite books in it. He was, in fact, rather looking forward to a quiet afternoon.

Upon arriving at the lake he proppedhis bike up next to a tree and sat down under it as well. Merlin pulled out the current novel he was engrossed in and flipped it open with a sigh. He stretched himself out underneath the shade of the tree and began to read aloud, so Arthur could listen as well.

Within the hour Merlin had dozed off without meaning to, the book laying forgotten by his side. It wasn't the first time he had fallen asleep by the lake, but it was the first time he had been awoken by raindrops beginning to hit him in the face. He began to slowly blink himself awake as the rain began to fall down in big drops off the tree leaves above.

No, not leaves. Hair.

That all too familiar blonde hair.

"Merlin?" questioned Arthur, with one hand on the trunk of the tree above Merlin, trying to catch his breath. He had his other arm extended out toward Merlin, offering to help him up from the ground.

"Arthur," Merlin replied, almost in a whisper. He didn't hesitate in taking his best friend's arm and haul himself up from the ground, wrapping his arms around Arthur's neck in a tight embrace. He could feel wretched sobs coming up from deep within himself and he tried to hold them back as best he could. Arthur returned the hug, which only really transferred the water in his clothes to Merlin's, but he didn't care.

Then Merlin began to laugh. A light, bit mad laugh that made Arthur pull away from him and give him a concerned look. "Did you really crawl out of the bottom of the lake?" Merlin asked between exasperated breaths.

Arthur just made a face and shoved Merlin in the shoulder. "With no help from you, sleeping on the job as usual," he mused with a fake scowl.  
Merlin couldn't help but laugh again. It truly was Arthur, in the flesh. He was back. But why now? He had a million questions he wanted to ask, but he knew no one could answer them. He was supposed to be here for Arthur when he returned, and that's what he intended to do.

"Merlin, what the hell are you wearing?" Arthur asked, gazing at Merlin's navy blue hoodie and jeans.

Merlin grinned; there was so much to teach Arthur about 2013. "It's completely normal, actually. You've been gone a long time Arthur," he replied with a sad sort of smile.

"Speaking of clothing, you can't go out in that armor."

"What's wrong with my armor?!" Arthur protested.

"Just…everything! Trust me. Let me help you take it off."

Surprisingly, Arthur did as he was told. Merlin helped him take off the plated armor that was hooked over his chain-mail, and afterword helped him remove the chain-mail. Arthur took a bit of pride in being able to take off his gauntlets by himself. Afterword, he stood in a (still sopping wet) red tunic, brown pants and leather boots. "You can borrow some dry clothes when we get to the flat," Merlin said, putting one hand on the handle of his bike.

Arthur looked from his armor on the ground, to the bike in Merlin's grasp. "What's a flat? And what's that?" he questioned, his facial expression becoming sullen. "Merlin, how long was I gone?"

"A flat is a small living space. This is a bicycle. And you were gone long enough. I'll fill you in on everything on the way home. Come on," Merlin replied. He picked up his backpack and wheeled the bike around in the direction to leave the Lake of Avalon for the final time. Arthur took a last look at his armor, which was lying in the dirt, and followed after Merlin.

Merlin took a seat on his bike and waited for Arthur to come up to his side before he started pedaling slowly, so Arthur wouldn't fall behind.

"Is that your sorcery?!" Arthur asked, staring incredulously at Merlin.

"No. Like I said, it's just a bike." Merlin chuckled. "You can hop on the handles if you want, it's gonna be a long walk back to my place."

Arthur gave the contraption a disgusted look. "I think not, I'm fine with walking. Didn't you said you were going to 'fill me in'? Well, I'm listening."

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**One chapter down, hopefully more to come asap**  
**I really enjoyed writing this and I can't wait to get to the silly, domestic things these two will do together**  
**Obviously I don't own BBC's Merlin in any way**  
**Also big thanks to Jana(queenamys tumblr) for betaing this for me x**


	2. Unlock The Door

As expected, it took practically the whole walk home and then some to explain to Arthur what had happened after he died. After all, explaining to a stubborn king that he'd been dead for nearly 1,500 years isn't the easiest thing to do.

Merlin started his tale with him sending Arthur off in a boat to the center of the lake of Avalon. He continued to tell how he stayed by the lake for a few days before Percival showed up. The two had exchanged the news about the recently deceased and afterward Merlin had gone back to Camelot with him.

He explained how he didn't have the heart to stay in Camelot. So he simply said his goodbyes and went about on his way.

Of course Arthur had butted in and asked why Merlin could't stay in the kingdom they had both worked so hard to build. To which Merlin replied with a somewhat sullen, "It wasn't Camelot without you."

After that Arthur had stayed silent as his companion continued weaving the tale of Camelot_'_s slow fall into oblivion. Gwen had ruled as well as she could, with much wisdom and a kind heart, but none of that seemed to matter after a while. The remaining Saxons had eventually overthrown Camelot, and the rest was history.

"Was she happy?"

"What?" Merlin asked, being too into his story that he was surprised when Arthur spoke.

"Guinevere. Was she happy, in the end?"

Merlin paused for a moment before summoning up a reply. "I believe so. I wasn't there in the end, but from what I heard, she was. She never forgot you, Arthur."

Arthur swallowed back his emotions and nodded his head. Merlin could see that the whole of the information was a lot for him to take in, but he had a right to know.

So he continued to drone on about things that happened after the fall of Camelot. How magic had all but perished throughout the world, and how the land Arthur once ruled had turned into one of the most bustling and beautiful cities in the world today. He gave brief descriptions of the many wars that passed throughout the ages, and told Arthur he'd get him some history books to brush up on if he ever felt like really knowing the details of things that happened in his absence.

Towards the end of Merlin's spiel the pair had begun to enter the city of London. Merlin began to tell Arthur to shut up and not ask questions about anything and make a scene until they got to the flat. Arthur had more or less dried off on the way to the city, so the two shouldn't bring two much attention to themselves as long as Arthur kept his mouth shut. Arthur of course took the opportunity to stare in awe at everything that surrounded him. The tall buildings, the shops, the flitting people; it was a lot for anyone to take in.

"Merlin, what in the world is that?"

"That's a television. I told you no questions until we get home," Merlin scolded. He'd gotten off his bike and had begun to walk it down the pavement.

"But ___Mer_lin, look at all this! Everything's so massive and bright and moving. How do you keep up with all of this? Are you sure it's not your magic?"

Merlin just grinned and rolled his eyes. There was so much to teach Arthur.

Eventually the pair had finally arrived at the building where Merlin's flat was. The warlock chained his bike up the the post and cast a quick, wordless spell on it so that no one would steal it. Even after all these years, he still used magic for even the simplest of things. Arthur just watched with a small grin plastered to his face.

Merlin led the way into the building. It was a small, narrow area with only one small hallway to the right and a staircase to go up. Merlin could tell by the look on Arthur's face that he was mentally complaining about the tightness of the area, but he could only lead him up the steps.

One at the the third floor of the building Merlin took a left down the hall until they reached room 3C, where Merlin pulled out a key (which was unnecessary for someone like him, but a habit because the neighbors were sometimes around) and unlocked the door.

"Welcome to your new Castle, ___my lord,_" Merlin mused, holding the door open for Arthur, who went inside without much hesitation. Of course, he didn't know where to go, so he just blankly stared at Merlin until he was done locking the door behind him.

"Right, so I suppose a tour would be necessary. Follow me."

Merlin led Arthur down the small left hallway to the living room, which only really consisted of a bookshelf, a television, a couch, and a coffee table with a laptop. Right across from the living room was the kitchen, which was little as well. There was also a small bar table with two chairs, one pushed in and one gone askew.

Merlin expected a ton of questions from Arthur, but the first thing that came out of his mouth was:

"Is that also a television? It looks like a smaller version of the thing in the square. Does it make moving pictures as well?"

Merlin gave a small laugh. "Yeah, it is." He walked over and picked up the remote from the coffee table. "All you do really is get this remote and press the power button and…" The telly turned on, featuring a dull talk show at the moment. "You can change the channels and stuff if you want. It's all mainly for if you're bored."

"People watch other people on the television when they're bored? Why not practice sparing, or go hunting?" Arthur asked, still slightly entranced by the TV.

"Well, you can still do that, I guess. But it's a lot different now. Nothing's really the same anymore," Merlin stated, switching the TV off.

"You're the same," Arthur replied, almost without thinking. But to him it was true. No matter how different the environment was, he had Merlin. The same old, idiotic, magical Merlin.

"You told me a long time ago you didn't want me to change. Since I broke the promise of 'protecting you or dying by your side', I guess I've tried to make amends by keeping any other promises I could to you," Merlin responded, his voice low and dour.

Arthur gave him a clap on the shoulder. "I wouldn't have wanted you to die too, Merlin. I'm glad you're here with me now. Thank you, for everything. I mean it."

Merlin gave Arthur a sad sort of smile in return. The last time he heard his king speak before his return, he had thanked him as well.

"I know you do, Arthur."

Arthur gave Merlin a final squeeze on the shoulder then let his arm drop to his side. "Good. Now, can you show me around the rest of this 'flat'? I really hope this isn't all there is to this place. I am a king after all."

"Oh, of course there's more. Not much, but still. Just the bedroom and bathroom left, really." Merlin began, leading the way out of the living room/kitchen area. "You can stay in my room until we can find a bigger place."

The two ventured into the only bedroom in the flat, which had a full sized bed, a wardrobe, and a small desk. It was all slightly messy, the evidence of someone actually living and spending time in the place. Papers were strewn about the desk and random articles of clothing scattered about the floor.

"Sorry it's not the neatest place. I can clean it up a bit," Merlin said, kicking a t-shirt away _- _which reminded him of something. "Oh! Right, you need new clothes," he exclaimed, going over to the wardrobe and whipping it open. "Umm, I'm not sure if much of this will fit you, but you can go shopping tomorrow or something. Ah! This is a little big on me, it should fit you."

"What the hell are you implying?" Arthur protested, crossing his arms.

Merlin smirked and gave a small shrug. "Sorry to break it to you, but being dead for over 1,000 years didn't help you lose any weight."

"You…___clotpole_!"

"Hey! That was my insult!"

"Yeah? Well it fits you pretty damn well too. Also, I am ___not _wearing that…thing."

"Why not? It's just a hoodie. It's comfortable and warm, and it's getting cold out, it's nearly winter. You're not going out again in that shirt, sorry."

"You can't ___make _me wear it. It looks ridiculous."

"I'm wearing one!"

"Exactly."

"Goddammit, Arthur. At ___least _change your trousers. They're dirty as hell."

"Fine," Arthur huffed.

Merlin tossed a pair of jeans at his face, which he caught before it hit him. Merlin left the room so Arthur could try and manage to change himself. Arthur came out five minutes later, with jeans ___and _the red hoodie on that Merlin had tried to get him into. Merlin was on the couch, smirking at Arthur when he emerged.

"The shirt was damp and dirty, okay?" Arthur explained, before Merlin could make any comments. He wouldn't admit that he actually found it comfortable.

"Right, of course." Merlin replied, with a smug grin still on his face. "Anyways, are you hungry? I could order us a pizza."

"What in the hell's a pizza?"

"It's food. You'll like it, I promise."


	3. Someone Who Understands

When their gourmet dinner of pepperoni pizza arrived the two had sat down at the small table in the kitchen, with Arthur not even trying to hide his face of doubt. The scent of greasy cheese wafting through the flat was enough to make Merlin's stomach growl to an almost embarrassing extent. Merlin had opened the box and taken out a slice for himself and took a bite, with a skeptic Arthur watching his every move.

"It's good, Arthur! Just try it. You gotta be hungry after all this time," Merlin said after swallowing his mouthful.

"Bread, cheese, tomato sauce and meat all together in one slice of… 'pizza'? Sorry, but it sounds kind of…foreign and disgusting."

"It _is_ foreign, it's Italian. And it's not disgusting. To be honest I've fed you quite worse. C'mon," Merlin protested, placing a slice on a napkin in front of Arthur.

Arthur, who didn't feel like finding out what exactly "Italian" meant in fear of a long speech, took the slice in his hands and, after giving Merlin a slightly annoyed glare, let his hunger win him over. His face perked up after chewing and swallowing his first bite, but he tried to play it off cool.

"It's not that bad, I guess," he said, taking a second bite.

"I told you you'd like it," Merlin chuckled, giving Arthur a playful kick under the table.

By the time the two had finished their meal (Arthur almost too much so, he ate 5 slices), it was nearly nine o'clock. Merlin let out a contented sigh as he gathered up the plates to clean. Arthur moved to follow Merlin, practically breathing on the warlock's shoulder as he washed the plates under the sink.

Merlin let out a short laugh. "Something wrong?"

"The water. How's it coming out of that small pipe?" Arthur questioned seriously.

"Before you ask, no, it's not magic. It's called a tap. You'll get used to it," Merlin replied. "God, just wait 'til you see the bath and shower."

"What's a shower?"

Merlin just laughed as he set the clean plates on a rack to dry.

"It's kind of like a waterfall that you bathe in."

"Really!?" exclaimed Arthur, seeming rather excited about the idea. "You've got to show me."

"Maybe tomorrow. It's getting late, you should get ready for bed," Merlin said, patting his wet hands on his jeans. He still felt like Arthur's babysitter every now and then.

Arthur made his signature pouty face that Merlin hadn't realized he missed until now.

"It's hardly late. And there's so much to see."

"London's not the best place after dark. I promise to take you out on a tour of the city tomorrow, okay?"

Arthur thought about it for a moment before replying, "Alright, fine. Tomorrow it is. Now, where am I going to be sleeping?"

"Oh, right. Well, like I said you can stay in my bed until we find a bigger place for the two of us. I'll stay on the couch," Merlin explained, leading the way back to the only bedroom the flat had to offer. Of course he didn't really fancy the idea of staying on the couch for a while, but it only seemed natural to give up his space for Arthur.

"Are you sure it's clean to sleep in here?" Arthur asked, slightly teasing.

"Of course it is, you dollophead. I just changed the sheets yesterday actually," Merlin replied, giving Arthur a slight shove in the shoulder. He went back over to his wardrobe and pulled out a pair of pajama bottoms and pants and tossed them at Arthur before grabbing himself the same, along with a t-shirt. "Go ahead and change, I trust you can do it yourself," Merlin mused before leaving the room to change in the bathroom. He could hear Arthur fumbling about in the other room and laughed to himself.

Once Merlin finished changing he grabbed a few blankets from the linen closet and went to set up a bed for himself on the couch. After he had it looking as best it could, he decided to check up on Arthur.

The door to the room was slightly open so Merlin just let himself inside, where he found a shirtless Arthur in his pajama bottoms staring quizzically at a mobile phone in his hands. Merlin couldn't help but noticed the prominent pink scar in the pot where Mordred had fatally wounded him. A permanent reminder of Merlin's failure.

"Oh, Merlin, there you are. What's this? A small television?" Arthur asked, unaware that Merlin was blatantly staring at his abdominals.

"No," Merlin said, shaking himself out of his previous train of thought. "That would be a mobile phone. And mine." Merlin walked over and gingerly took the phone from Arthur. "You use it to contact people you're far away from. Maybe you can get one tomorrow and I'll show you how they work. Right now, it's bedtime," Merlin chastised, his gaze flicking from Arthur to the bed.

Arthur sighed heavily in defeat and sat down on the bed.

"Would you like me to tuck you in?" Merlin joked.

"Of course not," Arthur scoffed, tossing the duvet over himself.

Merlin chuckled, beginning to make his way out of the room.

"Goodnight, Arthur," he said, switching off the light. He almost said "Sire" instead of "Arthur", but he figured things were different now. He heard a muffled "Goodnight" as he shut the door, which made him smile to himself.

It took a while after bidding Arthur goodnight before Merlin was able to drift off to sleep in the comfort of the sofa. It seemed just when he had succumbed to the tantalizing cloud of sleep that shrouded his thoughts, there was someone gently shaking his shoulder.

"Merlin? …Merlin?" Arthur whispered, continuing to shake his old friend awake.

Merlin groaned and turned onto his back so he could face upwards at Arthur, who was looming above him.

"What do you want?" He croaked, his voice sticky with sleep.

Arthur removed his hand from Merlin and just stood standing above him for a moment.

"I can't sleep."

Merlin let out a heavy sigh and hoisted himself into a sitting position on the couch and patted the seat beside him. Arthur tentatively slunk down next to Merlin on the couch and leaned his head back on the cushion.

"Something on your mind?" Merlin asked, stifling a yawn.

"Everything's so different," Arthur sighed. "I'm not King anymore. I'm a clueless nobody."

"No, you're not King. But that doesn't make you any less of an important person," Merlin replied.

"Do you honestly believe that?"

"If I didn't, do you think I'd have waited so long for you?"

"…I guess not." Arthur turned his gaze to Merlin. "How did you live on? Just waiting and never even knowing if I'd come? You gave me a history lesson before, but you didn't tell me what you've done all these years."

"I always knew you'd come. An…old friend assured me. And I guess I just…did? Wait, I mean. There were bad days and good days. I've done almost everything throughout. There were days when I was almost sure you'd come and days when I just wanted to give up. But I never could. I'm glad I didn't, now," Merlin replied, words spilling out of his mouth before he could rationalize what he wanted to say.

It seemed to fill any crack of doubt in Arthur's mind though. He gave a small smile and put an arm around Merlin's shoulders. "I couldn't have wished for anyone better to be with me in this day and age. Thank you, for waiting and for believing in me."

Merlin gave a meek smile in return, he could feel his cheeks getting hot. "You don't have to keep thanking me."

"Well, alright. Then I won't," Arthur mused, ruffling Merlin's already mussed hair.

"Hey!" Merlin chuckled, elbowing Arthur in his side. Arthur simply laughed at the weak attempt at revenge, a laugh that Merlin had missed more than he'd ever admit.

Since it seemed as though Arthur wasn't going back to bed anytime soon, Merlin switched the telly on to some random re-run of Doctor Who that was on the BBC. Arthur was entranced by the television, becoming engrossed in the story of The Doctor and his journey to New New Earth with his companion Rose Tyler. Something Merlin had seen too much to care to keep his full attention on. Arthur had eventually drifted off to sleep without meaning too, his head resting on Merlin's shoulder. Merlin didn't have the heart to move him, so he simply pulled his blanket over the two of them and switched the TV off, easily falling asleep afterward with the warmth and assurance of Arthur beside him.

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**A/N: Just wanted to say thank you all so much for the reviews and things, please keep them coming they make me very happy and eager to write more. I'm glad you all seem to be enjoying the story so far!  
Also, if you'd rather read this on AO3, I've begun posting the story on there as well. You can find the link to my AO3 in my profile description. x  
**


	4. Wheels Just Keep on Turning

The next morning, Arthur woke up to the smell of eggs and sausage cooking in the kitchen. Merlin, being unaware of Arthur waking up, was humming along to a song that was stuck in his head while he scrambled the eggs. Arthur grinned at the sight of Merlin looking so giddy and gave a loud yawn to let his friend know he was awake. Merlin whipped his head around in surprise.

"Oh! Good morning! I'm surprised you're awake. Usually I have to violently shake you to get you up. Anyways, I hope you're hungry," he stated, pilling the eggs and sausage from the pan onto two plates. "Just eggs and meat, something that shouldn't be too strange to you."

"Mmm, smells good," Arthur commented, standing up from the couch and stretching. "But since when can you cook?"

"You'd be surprised what a man can learn to do after a thousand years," Merlin replied, setting the plates on the table along with a couple of glasses of orange juice.

"Still, cooking's a risky business," Arthur said, raising a skeptical eyebrow as he sat down at the table.

"This is coming from you? The man who didn't even know what to do with a chicken?" Merlin chuckled, taking a bite of the eggs.

"Oh, shut up," Arthur scooped up a forkful of eggs and put them in his mouth, then did the same with the sausage. "Did you use magic to make this?"

"No! I don't use magic for everything like you might think," Merlin protested, downing a bit of his orange juice. "I can be perfectly self-sufficient."

"Mmhmm," Arthur mumbled with his mouth full of food. After swallowing he spoke, "Obviously you must be, since you hid your sorcery from me for so long."

"I used magic in front of you dozens of times before you knew I was a sorcerer," Merlin scoffed.

"You're lying. I would've known."

Merlin laughed. "Did you really think I could juggle that well? Or navigate my way through forests perfectly? You've seen me use magic countless times, you just never knew."

Arthur looked dumbfounded, staring at Merlin incredulously. "Oh my God," he said, shaking his head at himself. "You could've killed me, you know that?"

"Of course. Believe me, I wanted to plenty of times."

That got Merlin a kick from under the table.

"It's all so obvious now though," Arthur began with a smirk. "No one as idiotic as you could've made it as my manservant without using magic."

"Hey! Well, this idiot won't be making you breakfast anymore," Merlin said smugly, picking up his empty dishes and taking them to the sink.

"___Mer_lin. Don't be such a girl," Arthur mused, finishing up his food and taking the dishes over to Merlin, who just smiled and shook his head. He was a bit surprised Arthur actually brought the dishes over to the sink.

"You know, you still kind of smell like lake water," Merlin commented, scrunching up his nose at Arthur.

"Didn't you say there was a waterfall I could wash in?" Arthur asked, genuinely serious.

"Sort of," Merlin chuckled. "It's called a shower. I'll show you how it works, c'mon," he said, leaving the dirty dishes in the sink and leading Arthur to the bathroom.

Upon entering the restroom, Merlin felt it necessary to explain it all. First he showed Arthur how the tap worked, then the toilet, then the bath. He also explained which soaps were for hands, body, and hair. After all of Arthur's questions were answered Merlin began to show him how the shower worked.

"You see, it's the same as the bath, except you pull up this little switch and the shower head turns on." Merlin demonstrated it, turning the knob to a comfortable degree of heat and then pulling it outwards. Bathwater poured out of the tap until he pulled the switch that changed it to the shower. Arthur jumped a bit when the water began to spray out of the shower head.

"And that's it really. Make sure to pull the shower curtain closed when you're in so water doesn't splash out and get everywhere. And just push in the knob that changes the temperature to turn it off when you're done."

"Seems… easy enough," Arthur said, trying to sound as confident as possible.

"You could always just take a bath," Merlin offered. Steam from the shower was already starting to fill up the room.

"No, no I can use the shower," Arthur said. He wasn't sure if he was trying to assure Merlin or himself more.

"Alright, alright. I'll bring you a towel to dry off with and some clothes to change into once you're done," Merlin said, sliding himself out of the bathroom. "Be sure not to slip and fall!" he added as an afterthought once he was out the door.

Merlin grabbed Arthur's hoodie and trousers he wore yesterday since he didn't wear them for very long. He came back to the bathroom and knocked on the door. "Arthur, I got a towel and your clothes."

"Come in and set them down then," Arthur said, voice muffled from the noise of the shower.

Merlin let himself in and set the newly folded clothes on top of the counter. He could see Arthur's silhouette behind the shower curtain, holding two objects. He set them down and pulled the shower curtain open so he could just stick his head out. "Merlin, which one is the soap for your hair?"

Merlin wanted to giggle, but he held it back. "The one that says 'Shampoo' on it. Be careful not to get it in your eyes," he replied.

"Right, of course," Arthur said with a nod, closing the curtain to return his dripping wet head where it belonged.

Merlin left Arthur to figure out the rest of showering for himself. While he did that, Merlin washed the dishes from breakfast and folded up the blankets on the couch. Then he went and got dressed. He made sure to put on a coat and scarf because it was starting to get nippy outside. After all that was done, Arthur was still in the shower. Merlin figured he was just still getting used to it and turned on the telly to wait for his friend to come out. Twenty minutes passed and Merlin was still watching a mind numbing television program. He decided to see what the hell Arthur was doing in the shower.

"Are you alright in there? You've been in there for nearly half an hour. Don't you think it's time to come out now?" Merlin asked through the door.

"I don't want to come out. It's so… refreshing!" Arthur replied.

"You're going to wrinkle up like an old man if you're in there any longer. And I thought you wanted to see the city today! You can't do that from the shower."

"Fine, fine. I'll be out in a minute," Arthur said, defeated. Merlin could hear him turning off the shower.

About five minutes later a wet haired, newly dressed Arthur emerged from the bathroom. Merlin just grinned at him from the sofa.

"I trust your first experience taking a thirty minute shower was satisfactory."

"Very. I can't believe we didn't have those in Camelot, they're fantastic. It really is like a small, personal waterfall," Arthur replied, mussing his shaggy wet hair in a weak attempt to dry it off a bit.

"Well, we didn't exactly have indoor plumbing back then," Merlin mused. He slipped his mobile and wallet into his coat pocket and stood up off the couch. "Well Arthur, let's go see London."

Arthur smiled in anticipation and followed Merlin out the front door.

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**Eeep, I actually meant to get to them exploring London in this chapter, but then some silly domestic things got in the way. I hope you all like it anyway~ Also thanks again for all the reviews, favorites and follows! It really means a lot x**


	5. I don't know which way I'm going

The minute the two left the building Arthur was almost jumping in anticipation to see the city. Of course, he'd seen it when Merlin first brought him, but he hadn't had the time to gawk in awe at everything and ask questions and try things.

One of the first questions to come out of Arthur's mouth was about cars. "So, these giant metal horses transport people, right?"

Merlin laughed, tucking his hands into his coat pockets. "I suppose you could put it that way. They're called cars."

"Why don't you have a car?" Arthur inquired.

Merlin shrugged. "I've had plenty of cars before. I guess I find biking a bit more…fun."

Arthur pondered over Merlin's answer while staring inquisitively at the passers by. "Could I get a bike?"

"Why? Have you got somewhere to be?"

"No. Not now. Maybe later. I don't know. What about a car? We should get a car."

"I think the city's getting to your head."

"It has not! We've only been outside for 10 minutes. Merlin, we need a car. That's final."

"I am not getting a car, Arthur. Cars are expensive and a pain in the arse to take care of."

"You're such a spoilsport," Arthur huffed, his breath clouding in the air for a moment. "Where are we going anyway?"

"The Palace of Westminster. It's where practically every tourist visits first."

"A castle? Who lives in it? The King? Who's King now?"

"The United Kingdom is run by the Queen, Arthur," Merlin replied.

"Oh. Shouldn't it be called the United Queendom then? That's a bit rubbish."

Merlin rolled his eyes at Arthur's comment and the two carried on down the road in silence. Or at least as much silence as one can get on a slightly busy day in London. Along the way they walked past a multitude of shops. Of course, Arthur wanted to go into practically all of them but Merlin kept telling him no, and that they would visit some on the way back.

Eventually the two came up on Westminster. Upon seeing the palace Arthur was a bit taken aback, but after looking at it for a good long while he simply gave a small scoff and stated, "Camelot had a much finer castle."

Merlin chuckled. "Right, of course. You know, this is some of the most beautiful architecture in the world. The clock tower, Big Ben, is one of London's most famous landmarks. Along with the London Eye, which is our next stop."

"London Eye? This city has a large eyeball up on display?!"

"No, you dollophead, it's a large ferris wheel. It's a…ride, of sorts," Merlin said, unable to really describe it. "It's over there, across the bridge." Merlin extended his arm, pointing in it's direction. "The large, moving circle, it's called a ferris wheel, this one in particular is called The London Eye."

"That's a ride?! It looks dangerous," Arthur complained, watching as the Eye slowly went around in circles.

"It'll be fine, Arthur, c'mon," Merlin said, taking hold of Arthur's arm and dragging him out of the trance The London Eye had put on him. The two crossed Westminster Bridge easily enough, and made their way over to the famous London Eye, which Arthur still looked skeptical about going on.

Merlin got two standard tickets and the two waited in line which thankfully wasn't too dreadfully long. Upon entering their capsule with a merry bunch of stereotypically tourists, Merlin could see Arthur visibly tense up as they started ascending.

"Are you alright?" Merlin asked. They were standing at one of the ends of the pod and he could see Arthur's knuckles turning white as he clung to the rail. "You're not afraid of heights now, are you?"

"Of course not," Arthur immediately replied, putting as much authority in his tone as he could muster. "Why are we doing this again?"

"Everyone who comes to London has to go on the London Eye. It's like… an unspoken initiation."

"I was wrong. You have changed. You're mad, Merlin."

Merlin giggled. "Oh come on, its really breathtaking at the top. Don't you trust me?"

Arthur looked away from the window and over at Merlin, his eyes silently saying something that words couldn't. Merlin gave a small smile in return and put his hand over Arthur's on the rail, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "After this we can go in any shop you want."

"Even the ice cream one?"

"Especially the ice cream one."

Arthur grinned and after that the two didn't talk and instead just enjoyed the view as they continued upward. Once they finally reached the top, it was just as beautiful as Merlin had said. Even on a chilly, slightly cloudy day it was still lovely, and Merlin could see in Arthur's face that he was enjoying taking in the site. And the fact that Arthur was enjoying it made Merlin enjoy it even more.

Then there was a flash from behind them, and the two turned around to see a young girl holding up a camera in their direction. "I'm sorry!" she babbled. "I'm Lucy, a photography student, and you two just looked so happy together. It'd be the perfect photo for a project I'm working on at the moment. Do you mind if I use it? Sorry I didn't ask before, I didn't want it to seem posed."

Arthur made a face, hardly understanding a word the girl said. "Photography?" he whispered to Merlin, utterly confused. Merlin ignored the question for now and just gave him a small pat on the back.

"It's fine, Lucy," Merlin replied to the stranger, a polite smile forcibly etched on his face.

"Oh, thank you so much!" Lucy chirped. "You two are an absolutely adorable couple by the way. What are your names?"

Merlin could feel his neck getting hot. "Oh, um, we're not a couple," he replied bashfully before Arthur could spit back some rude retort at the insinuation.

"Oh! I'm sorry. I just assumed that…never mind then."

"It's fine," Merlin replied. Arthur had moved to standing with his arms crossed figuring he wouldn't get a say in this conversation. "I'm Merlin and this is Arthur by the way."

"Aw c'mon. Don't mess with me just 'cause I thought you were a couple. Merlin and Arthur, like the Arthurian legends, that's just bollocks," Lucy replied, her face contorting in annoyance. She then proceeded to turn her and her camera's attention back to the window.

Arthur turned to Merlin. "Do people really not believe your name when you tell them?"

Merlin shrugged, his gaze shifting to the window. "Sometimes. I have a license though, if I ever really need to prove it to someone for whatever reason. It doesn't really bother me anymore, I kind of expect it."

"That's idiotic," Arthur replied with a frown. "And what's photography?"

"It's when you have a camera and take photos of things. Like the television's pictures except the photos don't move," Merlin answered.

"Interesting," Arthur replied. "And why the hell did that girl think we were a couple?"

Merlin shrugged again. "It's kind of normal to see that around today. Guys marrying other guys, same thing with girls."

"Really?" Arthur asked, genuinely intrigued.

Merlin nodded. "A law officially allowing it was just passed the other day actually."

"Huh," was all Arthur could conjure up to say in return.

It wasn't long after the photographer fiasco that they were let out of the London Eye. The two carried on about their ways in bustling city, Arthur eager to try ice cream for the first time. ("It look so impossible! I must try it, Merlin," Arthur had argued earlier.)

When the two finally did come across an ice cream parlor, they immediately went inside. Arthur, of course, wanted to try every flavor they had to offer, but ended up settling on plain chocolate since it's what Merlin had suggested for him. Merlin got vanilla for himself. After their desserts were paid for they sat outside on one of the small tables to eat. Upon taking his first bite, Arthur recoiled immediately.

Merlin smiled and shook his head. "You're not supposed to bite it, you're supposed to lick it." He demonstrated on his own ice cream cone. "See? Far less painful."

Arthur watched Merlin cautiously before taking a lick of his own ice cream, which by the look on his face was obviously far more satisfactory.

"This is brilliant. I can't believe we didn't have this in Camelot," Arthur said, taking a second taste of his ice cream. "What does the vanilla taste like?" he asked, unable to contain his curiosity.

Merlin looked at his hardly-touched ice cream and then back to Arthur. "Try it," Merlin replied, holding his cone out to him.

Arthur gave Merlin a look, as if asking him if he was sure, but Merlin just nodded so Arthur took a small taste. He leaned back from Merlin's vanilla cone and gave a small, professional-like nod.

"Not bad. But I think I prefer mine."

Merlin giggled. "So you're becoming an ice cream connoisseur?"

"Maybe I will. I'm not King anymore, I suppose I have to find something to do with my time. Ice cream connoisseur sounds like a good direction," Arthur replied, prestigiously continuing to eat his ice cream. Merlin chuckled and continued to eat his own.

The pair sat in silence for a while, simply eating and enjoying each other's company. They finished relatively quickly, Arthur with a slight brainfreeze and both of them extra cold from the inside out. They agreed they should head home, because it was starting to get late. They walked closer together than they did before, practically leaning on each others shoulders. Weather it was for warmth or for something else, they never mentioned it.

They made it back to the flat in record time, the cold seeming to urge them into going to bed earlier than usual. Merlin got changed into his sleepwear first and was setting up his bed on the couch as Arthur got dressed.

Arthur emerged, donning pajama bottoms and no shirt as usual. He leant up against the door frame and cleared his throat to get Merlin's attention off his bed-making.

"Listen. I know the couch isn't comfortable. And I don't know when we're going to get a place where they're actually two beds. So, what I'm trying to say is… you can sleep in your bed. If you want. With me, of course, because I'm not sleeping on that wretched couch again. But not, like… you know what I mean," Arthur sputtered out, his face turning slightly red.

"Are you sure?" Merlin asked, hesitant to immediately say yes. He sure as hell didn't enjoy sleeping on the couch either.

Arthur pursed his lips and nodded. "Just hurry up and get to bed before I change my mind." With that he turned toward the bedroom and left, with Merlin quick to abandon the couch and follow at his heels.

Arthur clambered into the far left side of the bed, Merlin doing the same with the right. His bed was infected with Arthur's scent, which reminded him almost too much of the old days. They kept a respectable distance between them.

Arthur let out a tired yawn and pulled the duvet up to his chin. "Merlin turn off the lights." he mumbled, his eyes already shut.

Merlin sighed, not wanting to get up. He whispered something in a foreign tongue, and with his eyes flashing gold for a second, the lights went out.

"You're so lazy," Arthur remarked, his eyes now half open, watching Merlin.

Merlin gave a small, cocky grin, tucking his arms behind his head. "It's just another part of my never ending charm."

Arthur gave a snort of laughter. "Ah, yes of course," he murmured. He yawned for a second time. "I think what you do is actually pretty amazing."

Merlin furrowed his eyebrows, that was not a comment he was expecting. He turned on his side to face Arthur. "Are you serious?"

"Mmhmm," Arthur mumbled. "After all without your magic I would be dead. Like, properly dead."

"I'm aware," Merlin replied, a plethora of memories from when he used magic to save Arthur coming to mind.

"Today was fun. I don't remember the last time I just had fun," Arthur commented.

"Mm, it was," Merlin agreed, yawning a bit himself.

"What are we going to do tomorrow?"

"Hmm, I have to work tomorrow."

"Where do you work now?"

"Just a little shop with books and music and things."

"Can I come with you?" Arthur asked, his curiosity sparked.

"I suppose so. As long as you're not too much of a bother."

"Okay," Arthur said, letting his eyes slip shut.

Merlin smiled softly at Arthur's tranquil expression and, closing his own eyes, quickly drifted off to sleep.

* * *

**Eeep, sorry this took so long to update. This is also the longest chapter yet so, there's that. Anyways, I hope you enjoy it~**  
**Also I'm gunna go ahead and dedicate this chapter to the lovely Samira (colinsgay tumblr), because she continues to make me smile and listen to my constant blabbering over writing and things x**


	6. The Drummer Begins to Drum

Merlin was the first to wake up as usual. He let out a long, exasperated breath, slowly blinking away sleep. He soon came to realize that he was in somebody's hold. Arthur's arms were wrapped around Merlin's waist, not gripping or possessive, but gingerly, as if they'd been strewn across him in the middle of the night searching for warmth and comfort. Arthur's head gently rested against Merlin's shoulder, his breathing slow and even, his facial expression so calm and well, beautiful, Merlin couldn't help but stare. For a while Merlin just stayed on his back, his eyes half open, just listening to Arthur breathe, enjoying himself as the sunlight peeked through the cracks in the blinds and filled him with the warmth of a new day.

But alas, he had to go to work today. Yesterday he had called in to take a day off yesterday before Arthur woke up. It was a good thing his boss adored him, so he happily gave Merlin the day off, but that didn't make Merlin feel any less guilty about doing it. He usually never called in to miss a day, unless he was feeling ill (which of course was rare and didn't last long); he never really had a reason to until yesterday.

So, reluctantly, Merlin slipped out from under Arthur's arm and got up, stretching as he did so. Arthur almost immediately began to stir, the absence of Merlin clearly bothering his sleep. He gripped at Merlin's warm, empty space in the bed, his hands only finding tousled sheets to hold onto. Merlin was busy rummaging through his wardrobe to find his work clothes when he heard his name faintly escape Arthur's lips.

"Merlin?" Arthur called, he was only half-awake and his voice was croaky with sleep.

Merlin replied by tossing a bundle of clothes at him. "Rise and shine, I've got work today."

Arthur groaned loudly, removing the shirt from his face and pulling the duvet over his head. "Why must you work so early?"

"You don't have to come, you know," Merlin stated, finally finding his clean work attire.

Arthur replied with another bratty sounding groan, poking his head out from under the covers. "You could just go in late. You were late to work for me all the time."

Merlin laughed and shook his head. "I skipped work yesterday, I can't be late today. Plus, I've never been late. Well, except for that one time I tripped and spilled coffee on myself, but that's not the point. Just hurry up and make yourself presentable."

Arthur smirked when Merlin mentioned himself tripping, and lazily rolled himself out of bed. "Fine. But can I get some clothing of my own today?"

"Yeah sure, we can go after I'm done with work," Merlin answered, tucking his work clothes under his arm and heading out the bedroom door to go to the bathroom to change.

Merlin took a quick shower and changed into his work uniform, which was just a pair of dark jeans and a white button up. He emerged from the bathroom with his hair still damp, wandering over to the kitchen to find a clothed Arthur with his head in the refrigerator.

"Hungry?" Merlin asked.

Startled, Arthur lifted his head and hit it on one of the shelves in the fridge, causing Merlin to chortle.

Arthur removed himself from the fridge, rubbing his head. "Shut up, Merlin."

"Sorry," Merlin said, still smiling slightly. "But don't you think I should be the one doing the cooking around here?"

"Yeah, I guess," Arthur agreed, pouting slightly. "I don't understand half the things you have in the cold box."

"Refrigerator," Merlin corrected.

"Whatever," Arthur replied with a wave of his hand. "Just…make something, okay?"

Merlin rolled his eyes and lazily prepared a short breakfast for the two of them, which consisted of bagels and jam. When it was placed in front of Arthur, he made one of his faces, but he ate it nevertheless.

The two finished their breakfast relatively quickly because Merlin didn't want to be late to work. Merlin haphazardly tossed the dishes in the sink and the pair headed out the door.

Merlin usually rode his bike to work, but seeing as he was stuck with Arthur, they walked instead. This wasn't too bad as the shop wasn't too terribly far away from the flat.

They were quiet at the beginning of the walk, stepping unconsciously in unison and enjoying each other's company as the slight wind nipped at their noses. Eventually it was Merlin who spoke first, for he couldn't help but notice Arthur constantly glancing over at him in an odd way.

"Is something wrong?" Merlin questioned when he caught Arthur staring at him for the third time.

"What? No. Nothing," Arthur replied hastily, shaking his head.

"You keep staring at me," Merlin said flatly.

Arthur's lips pressed into a thin line. "It's just…you never dressed nicely to come to work for me."

At that, Merlin couldn't help but chuckle. "This is just the standard uniform. It's hardly nice."

Arthur just frowned and shrugged. "Whatever. What is it you do at this new job of yours anyways?"

"Well, it's a book store. So sometimes I work at the register, which is where people pay, and sometimes I organize the books in the shop."

"Seems rather dull," Arthur commented. "Why aren't you doing something more…I don't know, respectable? How come you're not a physician?"

"I was, for a while. But people have come a long way in medicine since our day, they can take care of themselves. And as you might know, magic isn't really accepted as a general fact of knowledge, so it's not as if I can help people using that. And anyways, I like my job now. It's nice and quiet. With no bratty king ordering me about," Merlin teased, elbowing Arthur slightly.

"I hardly ordered you around," Arthur retorted.

"Riiight, of course not," Merlin mused. "Anyways, we're here."

They came up to a small shop with a forest-green painted door, the sign above it reading "Ma Petite Livre." The sign on the door said "Closed," but Merlin unlocked the door and they entered, a small bell dinging as they did so. They were greeted by a kindly looking old man popping up from behind a bookshelf.

"Merlin! You're here, I'm glad. And who's this?" the man asked, situating a stack of books in his arms.

"This is my old friend and new flatmate, Arthur. Arthur, this is Mr. Adams."

"Pleasure to meet you, lad," Mr. Adams said with a warm, wrinkled smile. He jutted his free hand out to Arthur, who took it heartily and shook.

"Likewise, sir," Arthur replied, giving him a polite grin in return.

"I hope you don't mind him coming in with me, he's new to London and-" Merlin tried explaining, before he was cut off.

"Any friend of yours is welcome here, Merlin," Mr. Adams said before Merlin could finish. Then he handed the stack of books to him and said, "As long as you still get work done of course." And with that and a mischievous grin, he scurried off to the back room.

Merlin heaved a sigh and took a look at the books, which were clearly ones that were out of their appropriate section considering the variety of them that were in his arms. He then carried on to put them in their respected places, Arthur following at his heels, unsure of what else to do with himself.

Merlin was putting _The Catcher in the Rye_ back on its shelf when he said, "You know, you can go have a look around. Maybe find a book and read. I'll tell you what, the Arthurian Legends are over in the back corner over there." Merlin pointed in its general direction and added, "You can go mull those over and have a good laugh at the inaccuracy of how some of the artists depicted you."

Arthur thought about it for a moment and then nodded, figuring it was better than watching Merlin stack books upon shelves all morning. He ventured over to the corner where Merlin had pointed and skimmed through the spines of the books until he found what he was looking for. He took it and sat down on one of the plush armchairs that were around and began to submerge himself in his own tales.

Meanwhile, Merlin finished up putting away the books Mr. Adams had given him, and had gone to find him to ask him about what he wanted him to do for the rest of the day. He found his boss behind the cash register, sorting through the money in it. Before he could even ask, Mr. Adams began to speak first.

"Is your friend's name _really_ Arthur?" he asked.

Merlin gave a small, shy smile. "Yeah. Merlin and Arthur, funny how things work out isn't it?"

"Very!" he replied. "Now, I don't have much for you to do today, Merlin. I'm capable of handling the register. You can show your friend around a bit until we have a customer or two show up. How about you go and switch the sign to 'open'?"

Merlin nodded, walking over to the door and flipping the 'closed' sign so that it now read 'open', and then made his way over to Arthur. "So," he began, leaning against the back of the chair, "how are you finding the book?"

"This is all absolutely ridiculous." Arthur scoffed. "I mean, have you _seen_ me? I am not old with a beard, Merlin!"

He pointed to one of the drawing's in the book, of an old, brunette, bearded King Arthur wielding Excalibur.

Merlin couldn't help but giggle. "I told you they were rather ridiculous."

"Very," Arthur agreed, shutting the tattered, leather bound book.

"Want me to show you around, then?"

"What?"

"Around the store, you dollophead."

"Oh, yeah. Sure," Arthur said, removing himself from the chair.

The store wasn't a very big one; it was very quaint and homely. Along with books, it also had a small, cleared out area with an old grand piano. Mr. Adams could play a bit, but it was mostly for busy summer days when some aspiring musician could come and play for the customers. This is what Merlin was explaining to Arthur when Mr. Adams came around on his way to take a few papers to the back room.

"What he doesn't tell you is that he's a piano prodigy himself," he said with a wink.

"Oh, _really_?" Arthur said, folding his arms across his chest, eyeing Merlin as if to say, "Prove it."

"I'm hardly a prodigy, Mr. Adams," Merlin said, waving his hands as if the subject would fly away.

"Get up there and show 'em, boy! I thought you boys were old friends, I'm surprised you didn't know, Arthur."

"Oh, there's plenty of little secrets Merlin has kept from me," Arthur said, giving Merlin a small smirk. "Go on then, play something."

"Yes my boy! Bring in the customers with those lovely tunes of yours!" Mr. Adams said as he went off to continue putting his papers away.

Merlin sighed, running his fingers along the classic black piano. He sat down, his hands gently hovering over the keys.

"I don't know what to play," he said, hoping to somehow get himself out of the situation.

"I don't any songs from this time," Arthur said with a shrug. "I've never even heard piano before, so make it something nice. Play your favorite song."

Merlin thought about it for a moment. Then he began to play one of his favorite pieces, "One Summer's Day." His fingers glided across the keys slowly, then picked up pace when they needed to throughout the song. He tried not to think of Arthur's eyes intently watching him as he played. Once the song ended he could hear Mr. Adams' enthusiastic clapping from the other room.

Merlin smiled and laughed a bit, then looked over to Arthur, who looked dumbstruck.

"Did you not like it?" Merlin asked, trying to hide the slight tremor of worry in his voice.

"No," Arthur managed to reply. "No, I… think it's lovely. Can you play more?" he asked, sliding in to sit next to Merlin on the piano bench.

Merlin smiled, feeling a surge of heat rush to his cheeks. "As you wish," he replied, beginning to play Chopin's "Nocturne" without a moment's hesitation.


	7. Hold My Tongue

It wasn't long before customers began filing into the shop. Merlin would normally stop playing to tend to the people's needs and whatnot, but Mr. Adams simply gave Merlin a small wave, silently telling him, "Keep playing, I can handle the customers."

So that's what Merlin did. After "Nocturne" he began playing "Claire de Lune." The whole shop was alight with the piano's melody, leaving no corner left with silence. It gave the store a comfortable, relaxing vibe. The only thing seeming to be silent was Arthur, who still sat beside Merlin, hip-to-hip on the small piano bench. He wouldn't take his eyes off Merlin, whether it be his fingers brushing themselves effortlessly across the keys or his practically expressionless face, focused on his playing.

Of course if Merlin didn't put his full attention on playing he would begin over thinking about how close Arthur was. How he could feel his eyes boring into him. It wasn't unpleasant, in fact it was just another one of the stupid, small things Merlin had missed about Arthur. Maybe one day he'd tell Arthur about everything he'd missed about him, a long list of small things Arthur probably didn't even know he did. Like that small, hardly noticeable grin when Merlin said something particularly cheeky. Or the way the sun always seemed particularly attracted to him like a magnet, making his hair almost too gold and his jawline almost too prominent.

But of course Merlin would never tell Arthur those things. They were just friends. Just friends who had been separated far too long. So he tried not to linger on thoughts like Arthur's broad, crooked smile whilst playing the piano.

The song ended, and frankly Merlin was getting slightly tired of playing. He glanced over to Arthur; the two practically nose-to-nose when facing each other on the bench.

"Has all that satisfied your piano listening needs?" Merlin questioned with a cocky, raised eyebrow.

"Hardly," Arthur replied. He'd never been one for music, but there was something about the piano, and more specifically, Merlin playing the piano, that he loved.

Merlin rolled his eyes and sighed. "Well it takes a lot out of a man, you know. I'm not a machine."

"Could you teach me?"

"What?" Merlin furrowed his brow at Arthur. He'd never seen him even remotely excited about learning anything other than a new way to brandish weapons.

"Teach me. The piano," Arthur said, slightly confused. He thought what he'd said was pretty self explanatory.

"It takes years of practice, Arthur. It's not like waving a sword around."

"Well, we have the years now. Don't we?"

Merlin stared at Arthur for a moment, then gave a quiet chuckle, looking down at his hands. "Yeah, I guess we do."

And then Arthur was doing that stupid little, hardly noticeable grin and Merlin was smiling right back at him. But then there was an old man poking his head between them, asking Merlin if he could help a young lady find a certain novel she was looking for while he did something else. Of course Merlin didn't argue with Mr. Adams, so he went to remove himself from the piano when Arthur stopped him by placing a hand on his knee.

"Merlin," Arthur began.

"Yeah?" Merlin asked, slightly baffled.

Arthur opened his mouth to say something, but then shut it, only to open it again a second later and say, "Uh, It's just that…I'm hungry," and remove his hand from Merlin.

"Oh," Merlin replied, releasing a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. Then he smirked and laughed lightly. "I forgot how much you can eat. Um, here, take this." He reached into his pocket to pull out his wallet, and from there a decent amount of money, handing it to Arthur. "There's a small cafe just across the street. They have tea and coffee and pastries and things. I'm sure you can find something you'll like. Just ask for whatever and hand the money to the lady at the register, alright?"

Arthur nodded silently, taking the cash form Merlin and pocketing it. "You trust me to go out there alone then?"

"Of course," Merlin replied, standing up. "You can't be that daft if you were a king once."

And before Arthur could reply, Merlin left to tend to the customer Mr. Adams had referred to.

So Arthur scurried off on his own adventure to the cafe across the street, which wasn't hardly as intimidating as he thought it might be. It was small and not very busy, so the lady at the counter waited with a sour look as Arthur stood staring at the menu with a blank expression.

It took him five minutes to decide on a cup of Earl Grey tea and chocolate chip muffin (they had both looked decent enough), so he paid at the counter with as much finesse as someone from the middle ages could. He received his things and left, reentering Ma Petite Livre with a small brown paper bag in one hand and a visibly steaming cup of tea in the other. He found a free armchair and sat down, eating his muffin without mercy or mildness.

Merlin had just got done checking out a customer when he noticed Arthur return to the shop. He abandoned the register and meandered his way over to his friend, perching himself on the arm of the chair. "Tea and a muffin? That's all you got?"

Arthur just shrugged. "I couldn't tell what half of those things were," Arthur replied, taking a bite out of his muffin. "But this 'muffin' is good."

"It's not polite to talk with your mouth full," Merlin teased, to which Arthur replied with a snicker.

Then Mr. Adams showed up with a pile of weighty tomes in his arms. "Sorry boys. Merlin, could you put these back in the nonfiction section?"

"Of course, Mr. Adams," Merlin replied, removing himself from the arm of the chair and taking the books from one old man's arms to another's and scuttling along.

Mr. Adams sighed and put his bony hands on his hips, staring down at Arthur. "Do you have a job, lad?"

"Um, no, not anymore," Arthur replied, swallowing a mouthful of muffin.

"Do you want one?" Mr. Adams asked, a broad grin on his face.

"Um," Arthur paused, taken aback. "I've never really had a job, like…this, before. You probably wouldn't want-"

"Nonsense! You seem a decent enough fellow. And you seem very close to Merlin. You two could spend more time here together and I'm sure he could teach you about how things work around here quickly," Mr. Adams assured. "I'm not forcing you to do anything though, but the job's yours if you want it."

"Thank you, sir," Arthur replied. "I'll, er, think about it and let you know."

Mr. Adams grinned and nodded. "Of course, you know where to find me," he said and then left Arthur on his own.

Arthur mulled over the thought of having a normal job for the first time in his life. A normal job, not laying down laws or going off to fight in wars. A normal job with Merlin. It didn't seem that hard, and it would help him understand the times better he supposed.

So when he finished his food he went and found Merlin, who was dutifully stacking the large books back upon their high shelves, standing on his toes to reach some. That was when Arthur decided it would be a good idea to sneak up behind him and poke his sides, whispering "Merlin!" right in his ear. Which, of course, startled Merlin enough to make him jump and drop the books he was holding, mid-stacking them on the shelf.

Merlin was quick enough to stop the books from falling on their heads, the novels floating in midair before he could grab them so no one would see anything. Then he spun around to face Arthur.

"You could've killed us both you know, books are dangerous things!" he said, teasingly.

"Well _sorry_," Arthur said, taking a step back. "It's just, um, Mr. Adams just offered me a job here."

"Really?" Merlin said, sort of surprised. "Are you going to take it? I mean, no offense, but you're not the laboring sort."

"Hey!" Arthur retorted, giving Merlin a smack in the arm. "I can work perfectly fine. Stacking books can't be that hard compared to leading an army into battle."

"You'd be surprised," Merlin said with a small grin peeking at the corner of his mouth. "Well then, Arthur, welcome aboard Ma Petit Livre." He gave Arthur a friendly clap on the shoulder.

Arthur smiled shyly and nodded. "I suppose I should go talk to Mr. Adams about it, then."

"Mmhmm," Merlin replied. "And don't frighten me again or I'll turn you into a toad."

Arthur rolled his eyes. "You're such a _girl_," he mumbled, and spun around to go off in search of the bubbly old man.

The chat between Arthur and Mr. Adams was very concise. Basically, Arthur would start work the next day alongside Merlin who would train him in what to do. There was a paper or two to sign (there was no asking if Arthur's last name was _really_ Pendragon, thankfully) and Mr. Adams told Arthur he would have a badge with his name on it tomorrow when he came in.

After the two shook on it, Arthur found his way to Merlin again, something he felt he was doing quite a lot of recently. He didn't scare him though, which was good.

"I start tomorrow, and you're going to train me," he announced, plopping down on the chair nearest to his friend.

"Well that ought to be interesting," Merlin commented. He had just finished re-organizing the nonfiction section. "Anyways, its nearly time for my shift to be up. Didn't you want to get some clothes of your own?"

"Yes, _please_," Arthur whined. "No offense, but you're ridiculously tiny."

"Or maybe you should stop eating chocolate chip muffins," Merlin retaliated, raising a eyebrow of feigned concern.

Arthur wanted to throw something at him, but there was nothing at his disposal, so he just made one of his angry "I'm not fat, Merlin, shut up," faces.

Merlin simply smirked and said, "I'll be right back." When he returned it was minus his name tag. "Well, let's get going, lazy. I'm done here for the day."

So the pair set off out of Ma Petit Livre to go search in clothing shops in the endeavor to find somethings that were suitable for a broad chested, tall, and robust former King Arthur. Shopping with Arthur wasn't as horrible as Merlin thought it would be. Arthur was very lenient with what to try on, open to things like coats and button down shirts, which was a pretty impressive leap from wearing armor constantly.

It was when Merlin was handing Arthur a small stack of jeans through a dressing room curtain when Arthur said out of the blue, "Merlin, you've been around a long time."

"Er, yes. Obviously," Merlin replied, mildly confused at the evident statement. He could hear Arthur shuffling himself into the trousers.

"And you're a somewhat charismatic, not wretched looking bloke," Arthur said again. There was a zipping noise and a release of breath, trousers too small.

"Oh my God, hold on a second I need to write this down. The day Arthur Pendragon called me charismatic _and_ not wretched looking? I must be blessed by the Gods," Merlin exclaimed dramatically.

Arthur took off the trousers and tossed them over the curtain so they hit Merlin square in the face.

"Shut up. What I mean is, was there_ ever_ a girl you loved?" he asked, genuinely curious as he pulled on the second pair of jeans.

Merlin released a deep sigh from his nose, leaning against the back wall with his shoulders slightly hunched. "There was only ever one girl, but that was far before you, you know, died."

"You're kidding! You never told me!" Arthur exclaimed, now more excited since the current pair of trousers he had on fit well.

"Because I was a sorcerer in hiding and she was cursed. She died, though. Not long after I got to know her."

"Oh," Arthur mumbled, unsure of how to respond. "I'm sorry, Merlin. Truly, I am."

Merlin shrugged, even though Arthur couldn't see. "It's fine. I miss her sometimes, but not as much as… nevermind. I mean, I was just young and stupid and it felt like she understood me, you know? She had a curse to hide and I had, well, me to hide."

Arthur pulled open the dressing room curtain, fully clothed in trousers, a red v-neck shirt and a hooded faux-leather jacket.

"I'm sorry," Arthur reiterated, but this time not for Merlin losing his cursed girl.

"It's alright," Merlin said, shaking his head as if shaking the subject out of it. "Anyways, you look good, Arthur. It suits you."

"Really?" Arthur asked, septically.

"Yes, really. Much nicer than that godforsaken armor."

Arthur grinned, and then disappeared back into the curtains to change again.

"What was her name? Your cursed girl?" He had tied a rope around the conversation with every intention of bringing it back in.

"Freya," Merlin replied. He sighed, then smiled to himself, remembering fondly the first time he'd heard her say that.

"And after Freya, there was nobody? You never loved anyone ever again?" Arthur asked as he slipped back into his previous clothing.

"There are plenty of people I've loved in my time. But, no, I've never been really romantically involved with anyone since."

"Well that's a damn shame. You have had 1,500 years to kill and you didn't even get yourself a girl." Arthur said, shaking his head slightly as he reemerged from the dressing room, back in his previous clothes.

"I was busy waiting for you!" Merlin began, before he considered what he'd said. "I mean, it would have been stupid. What would I have done? Found some nice person to settle down with, distracting me with watching out for you to return. And not to mention the fact that I can't die. I would've been wasting, what, 50 or so years with someone that I'd just be living a lie to?"

Arthur's eyebrows creased together and he frowned.

"You lied to me for a long time. And you may be this all powerful, immortal sorcerer, but you're also _Merlin_. The idiot stupid enough to pick a fight with an arrogant prince on his first day in Camelot. And also _I'm_ not immortal. I'm going to die someday, forever. I hardly doubt I'll be coming back a second time. Is this," he made a vague gesture with his hands, "a stupid waste of time?"

"Of course not," Merlin said defiantly. "You're different."

"How?" Arthur asked. "Why am I even here? Why now?" His voice had gone from rough and demanding to somewhat frightened and worried. "Have you even thought about that?"

"Since the day you came out of Avalon," Merlin admitted. "All I know is that you're here with me, where you should be, and I'm not going to lose you again. Not anytime soon." It was then he realized just how close they were standing, almost nose to nose, with only the the pile of clothes Arthur was holding to separate them. "Lets just take this whole thing slow, okay? We'll figure things out as we go along, I promise."

"Okay," Arthur agreed with a sigh, his posture visibly becoming less rigid and tense.

"Come on, lets pay for your clothes."

* * *

**Sorry for the slow updates. School and things, you know how it is. But thank you all for sticking around and reading this silly little thing. All your support is more appreciated than you can imagine. x**


	8. Steal My Heart

An hour or so later, Arthur had acquired enough clothing to take up about half of Merlin's wardrobe space. It was beginning to get darker and colder outside, the two slowly but surely making their way back to the flat. Of course, Merlin was carrying the majority of the shopping bags, but Arthur had helped a little in fear that if Merlin carried anything else he might topple over.

They'd also done a bit of grocery shopping, because the flat obviously needed to be stocked with enough food for two people now. Arthur was bewildered when they roamed around Tesco, begging Merlin to buy a copious amount of silly things. Merlin disregarded his pleas for most of the trip, but it was just so damned hard to say no to Arthur's pathetic pouty face that he ended up buying a couple of the needless things he'd asked for, like Oreo cookies and a box of chocolate muffins.

They'd reached their building and trudged into the flat right about the time Merlin's fingers were going numb with the cold biting at them. He put the grocery shopping haphazardly on the kitchen counters and the clothing bags on the floor.

"Arthur, can you put your clothes away? Just in the bedroom, doesn't matter where. I'll start making dinner alright?" Merlin said, rubbing his chilled hands together, then digging through the bags to pull out various food items.

Arthur nodded, retrieving the bags and making his way to the bedroom. He decided to put his clothes neatly next to Merlin's in the wardrobe, having to meticulously shift things around in order for everything to fit. He got it done nevertheless, and was very proud of himself for doing so. Upon going back into the kitchen he saw Merlin idly putting things away in the pantry whilst a boiling pot of spaghetti was being stirred by what seemed to be thin air.

Merlin turned around when he was done putting things away to see Arthur just watching the wooden spoon move itself slowly around the pot, as if mesmerized. Merlin walked over to the stove and took it in his own hand, resuming stirring it by himself.

He cleared his throat. "Um, I hope you don't mind pasta."

Arthur looked up from the pot to Merlin and gave a small smile. "Everything you've gotten me to eat so far hasn't been vile. So I trust it'll be fine."

Their dinner was ready in no time, the two seating themselves down with two large plates of spaghetti lathered in sauce on the table in front of them. Merlin dug in, hungry after not eating too much all day. Arthur reluctantly did as well, finding it rather delicious although he didn't say so out loud, but Merlin could tell by his expression and rather fervent eating that he enjoyed it.

They chatted idly while they ate, relaying the day's events. They mostly caught onto the subject of Arthur actually getting a job, which was slightly impressive considering the fact that he hadn't even been back a week. Also, unexpected. As far as Merlin knew, Mr. Adams didn't need more than one person to man the shop with him on a daily basis, so offering a job to Arthur was a bit out of the blue.

"I don't see why you're so worried," Arthur continued, a dab of sauce lingering on the corner of his mouth. "If I can rule a kingdom, I can sure as hell stack some books."

"I know," Merlin agreed, eyeing the spot on Arthur's mouth and resisting the urge to swipe it away. "But you need to be able to talk to the customers, and find what they're looking for and-"

"Are you saying I'm no good at talking to people?"

"No, no," Merlin said, waving his fork. "Well, maybe just not so well these days. I mean you don't even know what _Pride and Prejudice_ is. Or _Harry Potter_ for God's sake."

"So? You can show me." By this point Arthur's plate was empty. He wiped his face with his napkin, removing any flaws. "I'm sure after you show me, finding Pride Potter for some silly girl wont be that hard."

Merlin stifled a laugh. "Right, of course," he agreed, smiling. Merlin stood and took the empty dishes off the table and over to the sink. "You wanna go get ready for bed, then? You do have work tomorrow."

Arthur gave an audible sigh and pushed himself away from the table, sauntering towards the bedroom. Once inside he stripped himself of his clothes and put on clean pants and pajama trousers. He went to the bathroom and brushed his teeth with the funny paste Merlin had showed him. Afterwards he went back into the bedroom and flopped onto the bed, nestling himself in the covers and staring up at the ceiling.

It wasn't long before Merlin appeared in the room to gather his pajamas as well only to scurry off to the bathroom and get ready for bed. He arrived back in the room not 5 minutes later sporting an old blue t-shirt and striped pajama bottoms. He yawned, flicking off the lights and climbing into his side of the bed, laying on his side to face Arthur with half lidded eyes.

"You okay?" Merlin asked, after watching Arthur stare at the ceiling for a decent amount of time.

"Yeah, fine," Arthur replied, absentmindedly twisting his ring round and round his finger.

"You're a bad liar," Merlin said, propping himself up on one elbow, giving Arthur his full attention. "What's bothering you? Are you worried about work tomorrow?"

"No. Well, maybe a little, but that's not it." Arthur dropped his gaze from the ceiling to look at Merlin. "I miss it."

Merlin didn't need Arthur to elaborate. He gave Arthur a sad smile. "I know. But you'll get used to it around here."

"But what if I don't? Merlin, I used to be a king. Living in a castle with a beautiful queen by my side and now-"

"Now you're living in a tiny flat with your old manservant, I know," Merlin said, cutting him off. He tried not to sound too hurt. Sure, he'd waited on Arthur for many years. The best years of his life, actually, and he was proud to be his servant. But there was always that little glimmer in the back of his mind that they were more than just employee and employer. Best friends, to say the very least.

"No," Arthur said, automatically. "No, I like it here, with you. I do." His voice began to drop to something close to a whisper. "More than I care to admit, actually. But-"

"It's ok, I understand," Merlin replied, placing a light hand on Arthur's shoulder. "I used to miss it a lot too. The land, the people, magic, everything. I still do sometimes, because, well, it was home." Merlin sighed, flopping onto his back.

"Exactly," Arthur agreed quietly.

"But now this is home," Merlin continued. "To be honest, it feels a lot better with you around too."

"Really?" Arthur asked, a bit cocky.

"Oh, shut up," Merlin said, giving Arthur a light punch in the arm. "I just mean it feels more homey. Like back in Camelot. Except I'm not your servant, and you're not my king."

Arthur mulled that over in his brain for a moment. "Merlin," he began, after a moment, turning onto his side. "There are more things that I wanted to say, before I, um," He swallowed.

"Before you died?" Merlin offered. He could feel his heart begin to beat audibly in his chest.

Arthur nodded. "And, in light of recent events, I feel it only necessary to tell you."

"Arthur," Merlin said quietly, sitting up a bit and placing a hand on his arm. "You're getting into your 'kingly' tone and its kind of freaking me out."

"I-er- oh, sorry," Arthur babbled, looking from Merlin's hand on his arm and back up to his face. "It's just, I don't want you to think that just because you're the only person I have left in my life that that's why I'm saying this. I mean, I've always…" He trailed off, trying to find the right words, running his hand through his hair. "I know you know I loved Guinevere. I mean, I still do, in a way I always will. But, Merlin, I just…" He swallowed, going back to his habit of twisting his ring on his finger. "On the Eye of London or whatever that was you said this…thing -" he gestured vaguely between the two of them, "was normal. So, I thought, maybe, it'd be okay now, in this time." He paused, taking a slightly shaky breath. "It's just, there's something about you Merlin. I don't know for the life of me what it is. But you make me feel-"

It was then that Merlin was completely sure of where this was going, so he leaned over, cupped the back of Arthur's neck with his hands and pulled him close until their lips were pressed together. It was only brief and chaste, and when Merlin pulled away he finished Arthur's sentence. "Whole?"

Instead of responding with words Arthur fervidly wrapped his arms around Merlin's neck, pressing their lips together once more. The kiss was longer and more languid, Arthur practically on top of Merlin, with Merlin's hands clinging onto Arthur's hips.

It was Arthur who broke the kiss eventually, both of them breathing hard to get air back into their lungs.

"You know, this doesn't make you any less of an idiot," Arthur whispered lightheartedly, before stealing Merlin's mouth once more.

Merlin gave a light laugh against Arthur's lips. "And you a clotpole," he mumbled, which earned him a bite from Arthur on his smirking lower lip.

Then they began messing around more. Arthur beginning to place kisses along Merlin's neck all the way up to his ear, where he gave him a small love bite.

Merlin jumped a little and laughed. "No, please, not my ears."

"Sensitive, are we?" Arthur said, bemusedly.

Merlin couldn't help but beam when Arthur pressed their lips together again. It was brief, because Merlin's phone began to vibrate unceasingly on the bedside table. Merlin broke the contact to reach over and pick it up, Arthur moaning like a whiny child in response, removing himself from being chest to chest with Merlin. He was starting to dislike technology more and more.

Merlin checked the too-bright screen to see "Geoffrey Adams" plastered across it. He answered, clearing his throat before he spoke. "Mr. Adams? Is everything alright?"

"Yes, quite fine. Sorry for the late call, but I wont be able to make it to the shop tomorrow, I was wondering if you could take over for the day? You could still bring our new recruit along too, of course," Mr. Adams replied in a raspy voice.

"Oh, umm…"

He cast a sideways glance at Arthur, who was now laying on his side, idly tracing shapes and things on a spot of skin that was exposed on Merlin's hip due to a raised t-shirt.

"Yes, of course. We can take care of it."

"Thank you, my boy. It's only for tomorrow, I promise. Have a good night."

"You too, sir," Merlin responded before a stirring silence indicated that Mr. Adams had hung up. Merlin set the phone back on the table, and slumped further into the bed. He turned to Arthur, who was still fascinated by Merlin's pale, exposed stomach. "It was Mr. Adams, he wont be in tomorrow."

"Mmmk," Arthur responded, before thinking about what Merlin had actually said. "Wait, is that a bad thing?"

"I don't know," Merlin sighed. He'd never missed a day at the shop before, he supposed it was only a matter of time. And Merlin did know how to run things well.

"I'm sure it's fine," Arthur assured, tugging lightly on the hem of Merlin's shirt. Merlin took the hint and scooted over until he had his face buried in Arthur's chest. Arthur lightly pressed his lips into Merlin's hair.

"You're still going to work tomorrow, you know," Merlin mumbled.

"Damnit."

* * *

**Ahhh! Sorry this took so long, I wanted to update before Spring Break ended, but three days after isn't too awfully late. Anyways I just wanna thank my beta Jana again because she is literally the best person in the world and this would probably be crap without her. I hope you all enjoy. xx**


	9. I Wouldn't Change a Single Thing

Merlin awoke the next morning to the alarm blaring incessantly, making him have to wriggle his way out of Arthur's arms to reach over and shut it off. When the noise ceased he was tugged back by a greedy arm around his waist.

"Can't we just stay here?" Arthur mumbled into the back of Merlin's neck.

Merlin smiled sleepily. "Sorry, no, today's your first day of work."

He slipped out of Arthur's arms for a second time, getting up off the bed and stretching with a loud yawn. When he looked back he saw Arthur watching him from behind sleep laden eyes.

Merlin smirked, picking up a pillow and tossing it at his head. "Come on, rise and shine!"

That earned a rather loud groan, followed by Arthur flopping onto his stomach and putting the pillow over his head.

"Fine, no breakfast for you," Merlin said with finality, sauntering out of the room.

Merlin was in the kitchen pouring himself a bowl of cereal when he felt Arthur come up behind him, wrapping his arms around his waist and resting his chin on Merlin's shoulder.

"Someone's clingy," Merlin teased.

Arthur ignored him. "What's that?" He asked, innocently.

"Cereal," Merlin replied, finishing adding the milk. "Do you want some?"

"Mmm, can't I have those things we got from the store yesterday? The Oreos, I think?" "Arthur, those are cookies. They're not breakfast food," Merlin replied, chuckling.

"Fine," Arthur pouted. "Make me some cereal, then."

So that's what Merlin did. Afterwords they both sat themselves down, quietly enjoying their morning with their legs tangled underneath the table. The hour when they were to open the shop was approaching quickly, so when they finished Merlin went to shower and get dressed while Arthur messed around with the television, waiting for Merlin to finish so they could swap places.

When Merlin emerged from the bathroom, all wet haired, neatly dressed, and clean shaven, Arthur found it hard to take his eyes off him. Now since they both knew how they really felt about one another, there was no use in denying himself the simple pleasures of openly staring. Merlin cleared his throat.

"I put your work clothes on the counter in the bathroom. You should hurry, or we'll be late," he said, taking a seat beside him on the couch and snagging the remote.

Arthur huffed in response, removing himself from the couch and ruffling Merlin's damp hair on his way out of the room. He showered and got dressed with the clothes that were left folded neatly on the countertop. He toweled off his hair and entered the living room to see Merlin idly typing away on his laptop. Once he noticed Arthur, he shut it, standing up and smiling.

"Well then, ready for your first day of work?"

Arthur audibly sighed, but nodded. Merlin went over to the door and grabbed his coat off the rack, slipping it on. He grabbed Arthur's new one, holding it out for him to slip his arms into, which he did.

"I can put a coat on by myself you know," Arthur mumbled as he began fumbling with the zipper.

Merlin took the zipper from Arthur and pulled it up effortlessly. "I know you can."

Arthur made a face at Merlin, who merely opened the door for him. Arthur walked out, with Merlin at his heels, locking the door behind them. They walked in silence to the shop, the November cold making them both shiver slightly.

They passed many people while walking, including a young couple holding hands, blushing and laughing at each other. Arthur paid more attention to them than Merlin, who was lost in thought staring at the sidewalk. Arthur looked from the pair of lovers and then to Merlin, making the decision to reach over and take Merlin's hand in his own, lacing their cold fingers together.

This of course broke Merlin out of his train of thought. He looked down at their hands and then up at Arthur, who was grinning like a small child. He couldn't help but shyly smile back and give his hand a small squeeze.

They arrived at the shop no more than ten minutes later, Merlin unlocking the door and ushering Arthur inside. They went to the back room, which was full of boxes and stacks of unopened books of various types and sizes. They removed their coats (Merlin assisting Arthur with the zipper again) and went back out into the shop.

"Alright, so the shop officially opens in an hour, so I have time to show you the basics of how things work," Merlin began. He pressed a few buttons on the cash register until the drawer of money popped open. "So this is the cash register. When people go to pay for what they're buying, they come here. You scan their purchase, take their money, and give them change." Merlin continued talking about the mechanics of how the register works for about fifteen minutes while Arthur listened carefully, determined to get it right when it was his time to use it.

Afterwards, Merlin showed Arthur the different sections of the shop. They were all clearly labeled, so it wasn't to difficult to see where "Mystery" differed from "Cooking" and so on. He explained what each section's purpose was, and that over time Arthur would be able to easily find various books for people.

"So, you think you can handle it?" Merlin said, concluding his spiel on the shop.

"Of course I can handle it, don't be daft. It's just a bunch of books," Arthur scoffed, leaning against one of the bookshelves. It wobbled slightly under his weight and Arthur jumped away from it, making Merlin chuckle loudly. Arthur glared at him. "Shut up."

"I thought 'not breaking anything' was implied in the job; maybe I should've explained further," Merlin mused, still laughing lightly.

Arthur huffed and crossed his arms, sauntering back over behind the cash register counter. "Just open the dumb shop."

Still grinning foolishly, Merlin went to flip the "closed" sign to "open". He made his way back over to Arthur, placing his elbows on the counter, chin in his hands. Arthur, on the opposite side of the counter, just watched Merlin stare at him.

"What?" Arthur asked, eventually.

Merlin merely shrugged. "Nothing."

Arthur gave him a look, and then went to replicate Merlin's chin-hands position, their faces only inches away. They stayed that way in silence for a moment, just watching each other, until Arthur spoke.

"You look older," he said. Not in a rude or teasing way, just as a general statement. "In your eyes, you look older."

"I am older," Merlin replied, simply.

"How come you don't look like an old man?" It was a genuine question.

Merlin grinned wryly. "Would you rather me look old?"

"No," Arthur said, a bit quickly. "Well, I don't mean that…well… I just like you the way you are. That's all," he added, hastily. "And you were always really cranky and rude when you were in your 'old wizard' guise."

Merlin reddened slightly. "I just didn't want you to know it was me."

"Hmm, a back-talking old sorcerer? Nah, I could never see that as you," Arthur mused, smirking. "You made a lovely Dolma."

That made Merlin practically beet red, and Arthur chuckled. He leaned over, closing the small space between them, planting a brief kiss on Merlin's lips. "No matter what, you're beautiful to me."

Merlin let that sink in for a moment. "Eh, I guess you're not so bad either."

Arthur was about to retort when the bell on the front door of the shop gave a little "ding", announcing a costumer's entrance. It made them both stand upright, and Merlin gave Arthur a look that said "Go see if she needs help."

Arthur inhaled deeply, making his way around the counter and over to the young brunette girl with her hands shoved deep in her coat pockets, perusing the shelves.

"Do you need help with anything?" Arthur asked, with a polite grin.

The girl turned to him, slightly startled. "Oh, no, thank you," she replied, shuffling down the aisle.

Arthur merely nodded. "Just let me know if you need anything," he said, and went back over to Merlin, who was sitting behind the counter now, flipping through a book.

"Is this really what you do all day?" Arthur asked, leaning against the wall next to Merlin.

Merlin shrugged. "Pretty much. Wednesdays are usually slow. The best days are Fridays because sometimes a musician will come."

"Can't you just play something?" Arthur asked.

"Yeah, I can actually play most instruments. But that's not really fair considering the amount of practice time I've had. I like listening to other people," Merlin replied. The front door's bell rang again, with a couple of more people entering.

"You can do just about anything, can't you?" Arthur said, almost baffled.

"Just about," Merlin replied with a small, childish grin.

Then the first girl who'd entered the ship came up to the register, setting a large tome that appeared to be on some kind of science on the counter. Merlin side glanced at Arthur, who got the hint and removed himself from leaning on the wall.

"Find what you were looking for then?" Arthur said, scanning the barcode on the back of the book like Merlin had showed him.

The girl nodded, whilst rummaging in her purse for money. She slipped Arthur twenty quid and retrieved her book. "Keep the change," she said, with a small flirtatious smile as she turned to leave.

Arthur opened the register and tucked the bill in its rightful spot, then looked over to Merlin. "Jealous?"

"Hardly," Merlin replied casually.

And that's how their day went on. Arthur helping the few customers that came around and Merlin assisting him if need be. About half an hour before closing time, the shop was empty. They had ended up occupying a couple of arm chairs, Merlin had picked up a book of various poetry and was reading aloud while Arthur listened.

He'd just got done reading "somewhere I have never travelled, gladly beyond" by E.E. Cummings when he noticed Arthur had his head back with his eyes closed in the chair across from him.

The sudden silence made Arthur stir.

"Don't stop, I like listening to your voice," he mumbled.

Merlin smiled to himself, and continued on to read "The Mermaid" by William Butler Yeats. After a while, Merlin finished the book, considering it wasn't too long to begin with.

Arthur made a whining sound. "No, keep reading. I was just about to fall asleep."

"I finished the book. And sleeping on the job could get you fired," Merlin retorted.

Arthur opened his, sighing and rubbing the back of his neck. "On what job? This place is dead."

"Fair point." Merlin shut the book, removing himself from the chair and going to put it back on it's shelf.

"Can you play something?" Arthur asked when Merlin sat back down.

Merlin heaved a sigh. "I suppose. Then after we can close up the shop and get something to eat, I'm starving."

Arthur nodded in agreement as Merlin went to sit down at the piano. He thought for a moment before beginning to play "Metamorphosis 1" by Phillip Glass.

Not even a minute into the song, Arthur slipped in beside Merlin on the piano bench. "You play too many sad songs."

Merlin shrugged and continued playing, that is, until Arthur cupped his face in his hand, making him turn and stop. Arthur pressed their lips together, Merlin abandoning the piano keys to place his hands on Arthur's hips. They kissed that way until the side-by-side position began getting uncomfortable, so Arthur took the initiative to tug Merlin onto his lap. Merlin complied, his legs on either side of Arthur's, straddling him, never breaking their contact.

Merlin wrapped his arms around Arthur's neck, tangling his fingers in his hair, their kissing becoming more wet, with bumping noses and gentle lip bites. Arthur had his hands on Merlin's thighs, suddenly gripping tight and standing up. He set Merlin down atop the piano, the keys making an ungodly sound under his weight. Merlin laughed into Arthur's mouth, and Arthur grinned back, continuing to envelope his mouth in possessive, loving kisses.

"Arthur," Merlin eventually whispered in between kissed.

"Mmm?" Arthur replied, moving away from Merlin's mouth to let him talk.

"We're going to break the piano," Merlin mumbled, the palms of his hands pressed to Arthur's chest. "And it's past five, we should get going."

Arthur sighed, pressing one last lingering kiss against Merlin's slightly red lips. "Okay, where are we going?"

"There's a really nice fish and chips shop down the street," Merlin offered.

"Sounds good," Arthur agreed as Merlin slipped himself down off the piano keys.

Merlin began fixing Arthur's hair so it didn't look too messy. "Can you get our coats and we'll go? I'll close everything up."

Arthur nodded, leaving Merlin to go to the back and fetch their jackets. Merlin did a quick walk around the shop to make sure everything was tidy and then locked up the register. Arthur reemerged with his jacket on, holding Merlin's outstretched. Merlin smiled, slipped into his coat, and the two headed out the front door hand in hand.


	10. Inside Your Hands

The warmth and aroma of seafood hit Merlin so hard when he opened the door that his stomach instantly growled. It was a small chippy, with a counter to order and a few communal tables and chairs scattered about. Merlin ordered for the two of them and they sat down in the corner of the shop next to the window outlooking the street. People and cars passed by, always hustling and bustling, in such a hurry to get things done. Merlin knew how that felt, but ever since Arthur arrived his world seemed to slow down a few paces, in a "stop and smell the roses" sort of way.

"What's that?" Arthur asked, looking over Merlin's shoulder. The shop's walls were filled with framed photos of some of the world's landmarks. Merlin detached himself from his previous thoughts and turned his head.

"That's the Eiffel Tower, in Paris, France," he replied with a smile. "We should go to Paris sometime, you'd like it. It's really beautiful."

"What about that?" Arthur continued, his curiosity never ceasing.

Merlin spun around again. "That's the Colosseum in Rome, Italy. Also very lovely."

Arthur turned his gaze away from the pictures of places he'd never been to and looked at Merlin with an inquisitive expression. "Have you been everywhere in the world?"

Merlin looked down at his hands on the table and gave a small shrug. "More or less."

Arthur shook his head, grinning slightly. "You never cease to amaze me."

"We should travel," Merlin suggested. "You and me. We could tour Europe at the least. Oh, you'd love it. France and Spain and Germany, everything. Maybe we could go to America too, visit New York and -"

Merlin was cut off by Arthur's light laughter. "Someone's a little eager to get out of here."

"Fine, if you'd rather stay here I -" Merlin began, only to be cut off again.

"Merlin, I'd love to travel with you. But I'm hardly used to England right now."

"Of course, I know that," Merlin replied. "Just, one day, we should take a vacation. It'd be good for you to see the world."

"One day," Arthur agreed. He reached across the table to take Merlin's hand in his. "For now I'm happy right here, right now. With you."

A sly grin crept across Merlin's face and he leant forward. "Arthur Pendragon," he began, his voice low. "Are you falling in love with me?"

Arthur smiled, almost shyly, and leant forward as well, capturing Merlin's mouth with his for a brief moment before replying. "I think I fell a long time ago."

That wasn't really what Merlin had expected to hear. He opened his mouth to reply, but no sound came out, so he shut it and just smiled softly. Nothing really did need saying at this point, everything was all so painfully obvious that a blind man could see it. Merlin was Arthur's and Arthur was Merlin's, as it had been since the day they met. Two sides of the same coin. Others might have seen it before they did, but it had always been there. And now they knew, they _really_ knew and understood what they meant to one another. Perhaps over one thousand years of death and waiting can do that to a couple of people. But it wasn't a sad, make-up-for-everything love. It was like a key was in their hearts all along but it just recently got turned to reveal something beautiful, pure, and unexplored.

So Merlin just smiled and brushed some hair out of Arthur's eyes, more at ease than he'd been for a very long time.

Their food was brought to them and they ate together in silence, feet occasionally bumping into one another underneath the table. Arthur finished first, which didn't really surprise Merlin though he didn't mention that. Arthur began to ramble on about the food nowadays compared to the food back then, occasionally stealing one of Merlin's chips and nibbling on it. Merlin didn't mind; he just smiled and listened, occasionally nodding. Merlin eventually finished his food and the pair got up to leave.

It was growing dark outside, and the temperature was ever dropping. Merlin shivered, his breath visibly swirling in the air. He felt Arthur grasp his hand tightly, the warmth from his palm seeping into his own. They set off down the pavement, their pace lively and quick, eager to get back to the warmth and comfort of their flat. They made it back in under twenty minutes, their ears and noses pink from the cold, Merlin a bit more so than Arthur apparently since Arthur began making a fuss about how "his ears are going to fall off," which was ridiculous in Merlin's mind.

They stripped themselves of their coats and Merlin made them each a cup of earl grey to warm them up. They settled into the couch, the telly displaying something that neither of them were really paying attention to. Arthur drank his tea slowly, finding it savory and comforting. Once done though, he set the empty mug on the floor and picked up a couch cushion, setting on Merlin's lap and then lying on it. Merlin just giggled sheepishly, running a light hand through Arthur's hair.

Arthur removed Merlin's hand from his hair, taking it in his own. He turned it over, as if studying it scrutinously. He traced over his palm lines with his thumb, quietly studying the sorcerer's delicate hands. So seemingly harmless when he was all aware of what they could do without even a single touch.

"You've killed people," Arthur said, a statement rather than a question.

"So have you," Merlin retorted.

"Yeah, but you didn't use a sword. You just… I don't even know, to be honest." Arthur continued fiddling with Merlin's hand, his fingers.

Merlin shrugged. "It's not all like that. Magic, that is. It's really-"

"Not bad," Arthur said, finishing his sentence. "I know that, now. It depends on how the person chooses to wield it."

Merlin nodded, trying to hide his grin. Arthur truly understood now, and that really meant a lot to him.

Arthur sighed, releasing Merlin's hand so it rested on his stomach. He turned his gaze upon Merlin. "What's your favorite spell?"

"Do you really want to know?" Merlin asked skeptically.

Arthur nodded, getting off Merlin's lap and sitting upright, giving him his undivided attention. Merlin sighed, turning to face Arthur.

He smiled mischievously. "Hold out your hands."

Arthur did as he was told, hands cupped and held outstretched between them. Merlin rested his own folded hands in Arthur's. He took a deep breath before whispering the foreign, long forgotten words, "_Gewyrc an lif._" His eyes gleamed gold for a fraction of a second and he unfolded his hands, releasing a small blue butterfly into the air.

Arthur was silent, watching it fly from Merlin's hands and flutter aimlessly around. Then he began to smile, his face lighting up the whole room. He trained his gaze back onto Merlin, who had just been watching Arthur's expression the whole time.

"It's kinda silly, I know," Merlin began. "It's just… when I had to leave you, before the war, Morgana did something to me that made me lose my magic. I had to get it back, to help you win, so I left for Crystal Cave. Morgana trapped me, though. In hindsight I probably should've seen that coming. I thought I was going to die in there." Merlin paused, he felt like he was rambling, but Arthur looked intrigued. "But the thing is, my magic never left me. It really… _can't_, not even if I wanted it to. It's a part of me. And that spell proved it."

Instead of replying with words Arthur leant over and gently pressed his lips to Merlin's. When he pulled away, he was smiling. "I think it's beautiful. Like you."

Merlin could feel his face flush. "I-uh, I should probably let the butterfly out."

Arthur nodded, watching as Merlin got up from the sofa to open a window. An icy draft was instantly blown throughout the room, making Merlin shiver. But then he noticed something. "Arthur, come here."

Arthur did as he was told, crossing his arms over his chest in a feeble attempt to shield himself from the cold slithering out the window.

It was snowing. A light, first snow of the year, gently sticking to the road below. Despite all else, the butterfly fluttered its way out the window, gracefully dodging the light fall of snow.

"Will it be okay?" Arthur asked, looming over Merlin's shoulder, staring out into the icy night.

"Of course it will," Merlin replied. He let himself keep the window open for a few moments more, before the chill started to become too much and he closed the window.

"You didn't make it snow, did you?" Arthur asked, raising an eyebrow.

Merlin laughed. "No. I could've, but no. Hell, I could turn it to spring outside if I wanted. But that's just a bit foolish, don't you think?"

"You cocky bastard," Arthur said, a smirk toying at the corner of his mouth.

"Mm, so I go from being beautiful to being a cocky bastard?" Merlin teased. "And it's not really being cocky if it's true now, is it?"

"You're a beautiful, impossible, cocky bastard," Arthur said, with finality. He stole Merlin's mouth with his own for a brief moment, pressing him up against the cold glass of the window, making the hair on the back of Merlin's neck stand on end.

"And you're a gorgeous, daring, arrogant prat," Merlin managed to breathe, sliding the palms of his hands up Arthur's chest to his shoulders. "And, you should know, I love you more than anything."

"I love you, too," Arthur replied, wrapping his arm's around Merlin's waist and holding him tight. He pecked Merlin on the lips once more, and then the tip of his nose.

Merlin gave a small, affectionate smile. "It's late, we should get to bed."

"Fine by me, butterfly," Arthur replied with a cheeky grin.

They got ready for bed sluggishly. Brushing their teeth and getting undressed and redressed before slipping their way under the duvet. They huddled close, body heat emanating off one to the other keeping them warm. They fit so naturally together, that it seemed so odd that they hadn't slept together in their past life. Not sex, but just relaxing in each other's arms until drifting off into dreams that couldn't possibly feel better than the reality they were in.

The next morning Arthur woke up to an empty bed, along with some sort of obnoxious sound coming from outside the bedroom. He ran a hand through his hair, lazily forcing himself out from under the covers. Upon opening the door the sound became far clearer.

"_To die by your side, is such a heavenly way to die…_"

It was music being drowned out by another voice - Merlin's voice to be exact. Arthur shook his head and smiled, sneaking his way into the kitchen to find a bed-headed Merlin singing and dancing (if you called sleepily swaying dancing) to a foreign song being emitted from his cell phone. Merlin's attention was on the stovetop, gently picking up pancakes and flipping them.

"_To die by your side, well the pleasure, the privilege is mine…._"

Arthur snuck up behind Merlin, wrapping his arms around his waist and kissing him at the nape of his neck, making him jump.

"You're up!" Merlin spluttered, startled. "Good, I'm making pancakes."

"You were singing," Arthur said, with a hint of amusement.

"Mm, I might have been," Merlin replied, removing a pancake out of the pan and onto a plate, pouring new batter into it.

"I didn't know you could sing."

Merlin chuckled. "Oh, I can do a lot of things you don't know about."

"Like?" Arthur asked, raising his eyebrows in a challenge.

Merlin opened his mouth to reply when the music from his phone was replaced with a loud ringing. He quickly scooped out the last pancake onto a plate and shut the stove off. The number was one he didn't recognize, but he answered nevertheless.

"Hello, Merlin Emrys." There was a short pause. "Hospital? Sorry, I don't…oh, yes, I do know him…No, I didn't know, he told me…oh."

Another long pause, along with Merlin taking a shaky breath. "It's alright…Yes, I know… Okay. Thank you for letting me know… Yes, of course…Thank you, again, goodbye."

The call ended, and the look in Arthur's eyes practically screamed "What's wrong?"

"Mr. Adams died last night," Merlin said, his voice monotone.

"But I thought he would be back at the shop today," Arthur protested.

"So did I," Merlin admitted. Then without warning he was enveloped into Arthur's arms. He returned the embrace, burying his face into the crook of Arthur's neck. "He doesn't have family," he mumbled. He could feel a few tears escape from his eyes without wanting them to. "He was just a lonely old man in a book shop, like me. I worked there for two years. How could I not see he had cancer?"

"Hey," Arthur interrupted, pulling away slightly so he could look Merlin in the face. He swiped away a few tears with the pad of his thumb. "This isn't your fault, alright? It's going to be okay. No man is worth your tears."

That made Merlin laugh sadly. "I'll be fine. People die around me all the time. God, that sounds a bit cryptic," he added. "Just, after being around so long, you know. Anyways, apparently he put me in his will."

"Are they going to read it to you?" Arthur asked.

Merlin nodded. "And the funeral's Sunday," he said, with sort of a pout. "That's your one-week-back anniversary. I wanted to do something nice, not go to a funeral."

"It's fine, Merlin. I don't mind," Arthur assured, sealing it with a kiss. "Now, can we eat those pancakes? They smell fantastic."


End file.
